AUSTRALIA | Fonterra Oceania has launched the Mainland Sweet Cinnamon Spreadable Butter across Australia.
The new FMCG product landed on supermarket shelves last month and has since garnered social media popularity, increasing sales.
Fonterra Oceania’s Senior Brand Manager for Mainland, Caroline Stedman, said the activity around Sweet Cinnamon on social media has continued to trend, with engagement in the tens of thousands of likes, downloads, and shares.
“One video on TikTok has been viewed more than half a million times, which kicked off sales that are now well above forecast,” said Stedman.
“In fact, they’re five times higher than the initially planned run rate, by far exceeding our expectations for the launch and demonstrating the power of social media.”.
The spread has been infused with a blend of cinnamon and sugar, marking the first time Fonterra’s brands in Australia have ventured into sweet butter under the premium Mainland brand.
“Breakfast is a daily habit for most people, and dairy plays a significant role. Think butter on toast, milk in your coffee or with cereal. So, we looked at breakfast and thought, ‘How can we make it more exciting? How can we inspire people to add more flavour and excitement to their breakfast with something they use daily, like butter?’ That’s where the idea for Sweet Cinnamon grew.”
Sweet Cinnamon started as a concept on Fonterra’s innovation pipeline two years earlier, with shopper insights and consumer trends driving the initial concept of the pipeline and into production.
“Our insights were telling us consumers were increasingly prioritising taste and convenience. They’re looking for something extra that adds flavour to their food.”
With Sweet Cinnamon, the final product on the shelf was trialled in 27 unique formulations, highlighting the extensive technical process and the importance of consumer feedback when working on a new product.
Fonterra’s Innovation and Technical teams lead throughout the production process, carefully testing and trialling the product to perfect its final form. Fonterra Oceania Senior Development Technologist Liz Kitchen said the process started with numerous samples where the product started to take shape.
"It starts in the on-site applications kitchen, where we experiment and build prototypes using different butter blends, flavours, and textures. At each step, we receive constructive feedback on the flavour profile and mouthfeel,” said Kitchen.
While the product progressed through each stage of development, Fonterra’s packaging team considered the best way to pack and present it, keeping sustainability in mind.
Fonterra Oceania Lead Packaging Technologist Nitin Raichurkar said Fonterra’s Australian target to achieve 100 percent reusable, recyclable, or compostable packaging by 2025 had been a commitment that’s driving new, innovative ways to package dairy products.
“When you buy a tub of butter, typically it is sealed with foil to protect the product and its shelf life. Mainland Sweet Cinnamon allowed us to push ourselves to innovate in design and environmental impact and think outside the box,” said Raichurkar.
“It’s the first spread in the market without a foil seal, reducing the footprint of packaging to be recycled while disrupting the market in a way to think differently about product seals. Overall, it’s been quite an innovative journey. We had to create a new seal style to remove the foil, which was achieved by moving to a tamper-evident pack to protect the product.”
For those eager to try Sweet Cinnamon, it’s not limited to breakfast occasions. Toast and crumpets have been an obvious pairing, and plenty of ideas have circulated on social media, like using it with baked sweet potato.
Mainland is one of Fonterra’s premium brands, and Mainland Sweet Cinnamon is now available in Woolworths stores and independent supermarkets in Australia.
